Embrace Your Creative Side

Happy Tuesday Everyone. Today is the last day of our vacation. Being in Greece and Cyprus has been an absolutely wonderful experience. But I want to talk to you today about art. Specifically, being creative. What is one man's trash is another man's treasure. Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. I was most excited (of all the tours that we did today) about the street art tour. They literally have a post that talks about the most Instagrammable things. And one of the features was street art, particularly in downtown Athens. There are a lot of communities where street art is practice heavily. I was very, very excited to walk through to see some of the pieces. The one that I picked in particular is cotton candy colored. I'm not a pink person. Personally, I find it offensive as a woman that they always saddle us with pink as a color.  Definitely why you see I'm purple, hence the purple life. But this caught my eye. It was feminine, yet hard. It expressed a real impression of Beauty for Ashes. You get a glimpse of a part of a person, but you don't get the full detail. You don't get the full face...you just get a portion. But the piece gave you a sense that there was a real, true beauty to be shared with all. After going through all the museums. After seeing all the ruins. After observing the architecture of Athens itself both old and new. This walking tour really brought out that creative side. As you've noticed I started blogging again because it really took my mind to a place where the numbers didn't matter anymore. The sales don't matter anymore. It's really about getting in touch with who I am and what I'm seeing. Being present in that moment on this day, at this time in my life. With the pandemic, we've missed so many moments because there's so much coming at us. It's hard to even stop to take a breath, because we've been messed up. Tied up. Just restricted and not allowed the freedom to be. Not allowed the freedom to live. Not allowed the freedom to move in the vicissitudes of life. The way that people are rebelling, I think we've all hit that wall. We need to reevaluate things. We need to figure out what the new normal is going to be. We need to realize we're not going back to two years ago, three years ago, five years ago 10 years ago. Technology in and of itself will never go back into hiding. We are pushing forward and moving on to newer, bigger, better, brighter things. So I want to challenge you. I want you to embrace your creative side. I want you to tap into that level that you haven't tapped into before. I must admit, I've always been a numbers girl. I've always had a strict dealing for money, and a strict dealing for making sure that the numbers makes sense. I really discovered through the blogging process that there is another side of me that needs to be explored. My writing needs to come out and to really just blossom into the whole craft. I know I'm not the only one. I talk to my friends all the time. Yes, they have their jobs. Yes they're maintaining things. But yes, they have their hobbies that they love to do and would do without being paid. These are the things that people have turned into their side hustles. Into their practices. Into multiple revenue streams. Not so much being busy doing busy work, but doing the things that you actually love, and making money off of it. I have several friends who design clothes. I have several friends who are in the music industry. I have several friends who really do like the digital art. They are grounded as far as a technology is concerned. I'm developing those skills, as I present this blog to you. But I have quite a ways to go on my journey. And I feel that you do too. So let's go ahead and incorporate this into our process. Let's make sure that we're tapping into every gift that we've been given. Let's share on this earth to make sure that when we leave this life, we don't have our ideas trapped in our heads. Or in our personal file cabinets. We have to share everything with the world that has been stored inside of us. What are your thoughts? Share your comments below. Thank you for reading this article, and supporting this blogspace. Stay  safe, cool and healthy. Take Care and God Bless!!!

Repairing Your Past to Fortify Your Future

All right its Monday. So we have been talking about taking vacations. Taking time out to really fix yourself. Refresh yourself. Renew, relax, relate release, but let's take it a step further. What have you done to repair your past? What have you done to fix the issues that you've had to make sure that your future stands brighter? As you see in this picture, there's scaffolding where they're working on this structure. In the ancient ruins, during the pandemic, many countries are choosing to preserve their monuments. They are taking the time to refocus restructure and rebuild on the tourist attractions that have made them famous. To make sure that they're stronger, and last longer for the future. Governments use forecasts, reporting and architecture to preserve their culture for years to come. Do we do that for ourselves? Do we really take the time to focus on who we are and what we need to do to make things better? Are we still carrying baggage from years past? Are we still weighted down with yesteryear? Still doing things the old fashioned way? Just not updating. Not clarifying. Not organizing. Not cleaning up the things that we've had to ensure that our future shines brighter with clarity and visibility. So here are some things to really focus on when you think about it. Do you still hold on to past problems? Do you still get mad about past jobs? Are you still in a relationship, in your mind, that ended years ago physically? Have you had feuds with family members or friends that have not been fixed? Have you leaned in on something that you know is not good for you? These are just some of the questions to start asking yourself. You really need to make sure that you have solidified your past. Don't let it be used against you. You can truly move forward without regrets cares, or concerns. If anything, you want to make sure that you are not burdened down or heavy laden with issues that could really be resolved. Deal with your issues with love and leave them where they need to be left. Think on these things, and let's work this out together. Share your thoughts below. Thank you for reading this article and supporting this blog space. Stay safe, cool, and healthy. Take Care and God Bless!!!

Booked and Busy: Vacation 2021

Happy Sunday? Today was a travel day to our next destination, but my on day for self care services. As I found myself in the long Customs line, I lost it. I was calm and collected at the beach, but triggered and agitated in the logistics and transportation. A moment with the newbie cab driver snapped me back into vacation mode. I managed to get some things done, but stressed while doing them. I needed to take the time to unwind and unpack all the events of today. I needed to refresh an refocus on my goals, dreams, and desires.  Have you ever run out of gas? What do you do to refuel? For me, it's good food and great music. I have tried many self care techniques, but it has always been the music for me. Pairing that with a foreign environment elevates the taste and enhances the experience. Small successes will motivate you to stay the course. I must admit, I'm a disco queen. I love all club music and in particular house music. You just move. The restaurant was playing the European version of some classic disco hits and provided many welcome gifts to us. I'm at the mercy of the time change, but it allowed me to listen to Disco Sunday Fellowship in an evening setting. On top of that, I was awakened to Club Quarantine with the DJ who keeps the party going. As an Aquarius, I love to celebrate life and respond to the music it plays out. I'm looking forward to the festival season to be held in Downtown Chicago. I revel in the fact that once COVID-19  is under control, we will be free to be kind to each other again.  Love one another. Live our lives to the fullest. Are you happy with the way your life is going? Or are you stressed beyond belief? Do you need to make some changes now for your future? Join me as we relax, relate and release. Let's move along this journey to see the best things in life. The purple life. Please share your comments below. Thank you for reading this article and supporting this blog space.  Stay safe, cool and healthy.  Take Care and God Bless!!!

Self Care Saturday: Vacation 2021

That's right. I said it. Vacation 2021. We have wanted to go on this trip since 2008. It's been a dream deferred, but never denied. God sees you when you are weary. When you pray, He will come through to give you the rest you need.Well 2020 was a roller coaster that rocked the world. The "Rona" changed our lives forever. Surviving in this COVID-19 pandemic forced us to look at harsh realities on a multilevel front. Lost in this mix was taking care of yourself. Now that we have the vaccine, things are slowly opening up again. Normally, we will plan a spa day together to recover from the adventures planned. This year was different. Celebrating 30....again took a whole new meaning. Rather than ripping and running and excursions galore, we chilled. We relaxed. We engaged in meaningful conversation.  Some people are starting new ventures while others are trying to hold on to what they have. Recently, Shape magazine listed several ideas on creating a Self Care vacation:

* Know your endgame

* Embrace the unknown

* Get back to nature

* Push back your personal boundaries

Some are working and schooling from home. Others have lost their jobs, businesses, lifestyles, and support systems. The feeling of isolation is heavy. May just passed and we're still discussing mental health services. I am blessed to have my faith and hope in Jesus fortified by the answered prayers. I have found a community that focused on uplifting each other in God. I am lucky to be drawn back to my calling and purpose in life. I had to take a break from blogging to focus on myself. But now, I am focused on you. I know you have your goals and your dreams on the line. But I also know you may be neglecting yourself in the process. How are you caring for yourself? Here are some suggestions:

1. Go Alone

2. Schedule Time to Rest

3. Journal

4. Go Outside

5. Say No to Digital Screens.

If you have problems or making excuses towards these suggestions, you have proven my point. I rarely post photos of myself on this blog space to maintain levity and clarity. But this image represents every word typed here today. Let's refocus and restart our journey. What are you planning to do in these next six months? Will you be the better for it? Share your comments below. Thanks for reading this article. Stay safe, cool and healthy. Take Care and God Bless!!!

YOU DONT HAVE TO EARN REST

Is there any rest for the weary? Have you run yourself into the ground? Are you working longer hours to ensure you have money  to cover your bills? Have you taken a break since this pandemic started?  Have you gone outside of your living space, just to see how the rest of the world is living? The reason why I asked this is because I had to take a journey. I had to take a trip. I had to leave the safety and the comfort of my home to visit my family. And I can tell you, it was the best thing that I've ever done in my life. I needed the rest. I wanted to get away. Spiritually, I desired to get away. Physically,  I had to get away. Back to the familiar. Back to being home. I also needed to go overseas to do something completely different. Taking me out of the normal and changing out of the routine. Again, the best thing I could have ever done. Why? To get some rest. Beautiful rest. Successful rest. Glorious rest. You can't do too much when your soul is tired. You can try to sleep. You can try to eat. You can try to stay healthy and take care of yourself. When you have literally drained your personal battery down to zero, you need to replenish it. So many of us have burnt the candles on both ends. So many of us have stressed and strived our way through. So many of us have experienced loss during this time (loss of co workers, family, friends). It can really be devastating. The one thing I can tell you....you deserve rest. In the Bible there are 380 references to rest. God rested on the seventh day after He created heaven and earth. If God needed a break, you need a break. So I just implore you, take the time to enjoy the view. Take the time to relax your mind. Take the time to enjoy your family, friends and loved ones, wherever they may be. Be safe. Be careful. Follow the rules. No need to survive this pandemic and then wind up with this disease.  Dont slack up on your safety precautions. As the world is opening up, it's okay for you to open up as well. Now if you're not ready, take care of you. Whatever you need to do to protect your mental, physical or spiritual do that. You don't need permission to rest. You don't have to have someone sign off on you resting. We've seen athletes recently,  taking time away from their sports to rest. And it is the best thing they could ever do. And the best thing you could ever do. Take care of your mental. Take care of your physical. Take care and god bless. Share your thoughts and comments below. Thank you for taking your time in reading this article, and supporting this blogspase. Stay safe, healthy, and cool. Take Care and God Bless!!!

Mental Health Care Saturday: Sports Edition

Happy Saturday! I hope your weekend is going really well, and I hope you're staying cool in his hot, hot weather. We've got some trigger warnings here. Let's talk about mental health. Specifically, from an athletic point of view. Not saying that I'm an athlete, but just saying that we put too much stress on the athletes. We showcase athletic abilities and create role models in our society. But the second that they show vulnerability, we turn and attack our "fallen heroes". The latest example is Ms. Naomi Osaka. This 23 year old champion has decided to take a break from tennis, to take care of her mental health. Now, I applaud her for doing this. I applaud her for using her platform to talk about something that we rarely hear athletes talk about. Often times, athletes are expected to be superhuman. They are above everything else and they never get hurt. And when they do get hurt, they just bounce back immediately. In the blink of an eye. With the swooshable wand or wealthy doctor. That thought is furthest from the truth. If anything, you're seeing more athletes coming out now, especially after they retire, with all of their different issues. With all of their different health conditions. With all of their flaws. They really don't live up to the image that the media created when they were popular and can truly unveil themselves. I applaud Ms Osaka because she decided- at the top of her game- to let people know that the French Open was not something she needed to do at this particular moment. She put a pause on everything to focus on her own self care. At the tender age of 23,  that is the best message she could send. May was mental health awareness month. We are barely removed from that when this young lady decided that her mental health was more important than the millions of dollars that she left on the table. More important than the $15,000 that she was fined for not doing interviews. More than the life of a sports star. She chose the life of a 23 year old, and I'm glad to see that her supporters are surrounding her. I'm glad to see that her endorsements have remained the same. I'm glad to see that she's actually picked up new endorsements, because it really highlights the fact that mental health is an important item that we need to work on in this country. I was shocked this week to find out that the NFL has failed again. They have used a formula that lowered the cognitive value of brain trauma for their black athletes because of supposed lower or inferior brain complex. Now in 2021, the NFL is trying to correct this misnomer. This policy has often denied retirees their benefits, or their claims of disability. I'm shocked that this story hasn't made more news like Naomi Osaka. Is it because she's a young lady and these are retired men? I'm not sure. That's a debate for another day. But on this hot Saturday, I hope that you are taking care of yourself. I hope that you are following her example. Take the time to really seek and search and find your mental health. Keep your mental dexterity in order. Make sure that your mentality is addressed this weekend. I really applaud this effort and I applaud the spotlight that Ms Osaka is shining on this topic.  I am standing with her. Standing for her. Standing behind her. Standing beside her. It's so totally and thoroughly important to protect your mental health in this crazy mixed up world that we are living in. But let me hear your thoughts. How is your mentality? How is your Saturday going? Are you protecting yourself today? Or have you exposed yourself to something that you don't need exposure to? Share your comments below. Thank you for reading this article and supporting this blog space. Please stay safe, healthy, and cool. Take Care and God Bless!!!

100 Years: The Tulsa Race Massacre

I HAVE BEEN TRIGGERED. 100 years? 100 Years!!!. This story has been buried for 100 years... and it still has no justice or resolution. In 1921, the Tulsa Race Massacre (not a race riot) (not even a fight) was an absolute slaughter of innocent black people living their lives as best as they could. After the end of slavery, they were killed simply because they were able to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Black people who  lived by the "creed" of this country to work for yourself, to maintain your integrity, and generate a profit. I just don't know what else to say. This has never been taught in any of our history books. If you look at the American education system, black people were brought over as slaves. They went through the Reconstruction Era, they went through the Jim Crow era, they were lynched. They were segregated as separate yet unequal, and they had Martin Luther King. Now they've jumped to Barack Obama. All of our stories, all of our histories have been wiped out. Submerged and never spoken about. Never taught. Never even a conscious thought of people. As I look at this situation, this is not the only time or the only city that black people were murdered by our systemic racially biased country. White privilege and white rage against the existence of gainfully employed black people who were doing business amongst themselves. They were still being racially profiled and excluded from societal means and participation. What is shocking to me is the number of cities where similar activities have happened. Near the turn of the 20th century, 100 years, and we have not learned the lessons. History is bound to repeat itself. And unfortunately, it has reared its ugly head with the past administration. The hate filled,  racist, fear mongering policies of the past administration are seeping into our governmental norms. Politicians are trying to legalize voter fraud, mandate voter restrictions, and create laws  meant to keep black and brown people from voting. The current power structure has walked away from their principles, their conscience as American citizens and American patriots. What we find is that if it goes against the status of white privilege, and if the white privileged owners do not get their way, then they try to legalize they try to intimidate, they try to bully, and they try to manipulate in order to maintain the status quo. As they are losing their grip on the population, their slowly slipping reins of power has created a chasm in this country. The world is taking notice. The world is seeing how they treated George Floyd, how they're treating all of the other black lives that seemingly don't matter to this country. The world is watching how we are destroying our own citizens. It's not quite a civil war yet, but some are trying to pump the brakes to make sure that we don't descend into another Civil War. If you research the actual history of this country, you will find many, many instances of racial bias, racial prejudice, racial separation and racial inequalities. What I found to be most disgusting, is the fact that there are so many cities where such injustices have been held secret for 100 years. Our ancestors in an attempt to protect their futures remained silent about being fire bombed, robbed, raped and killed simply for the sake of their land and their property. Black people were the original victims of looters, and the original victims of the Ku Klux Klan. Blacks were the original victims of the media as their stories weren't even portrayed in the news.  Murder victims were dumped into mass graves without consideration or thought of their individual being their dignity, or their human existence.You don't have to take my word for it. There is a post of all the cities in that time frame where there were racial violence and racial injustice. Do your research, since they will not teach this in our schools Look it up. See what the true history of our country. There are too many oral histories of what did happen, what was passed down from generation to generation. Whites not only tried to fire bomb our mostly black cities and townships, but they also built the highway system using eminent domain. Politicians crafted laws to take people's properties in order to build the interstate. Again, you don't have to believe my words... do your research. Talk to your ancestors. Get your stories about your family history. Make sure that you pass that history along to those who are coming behind you. I have been triggered. I have been trying to work this out of my system, and I know this post is extremely long. But I do want your opinions. Let's talk about this. Let's debate. Let's educate. Let's see what we can do in our lifetime to make sure that the history books are rewritten. We need the true knowledge of the events that happened on that day, and many others in our country. What are your thoughts? What have you heard? What have you experienced? What do you think our future generations need to know about this past racial injustice? Please leave your comments below. I want to thank you for reading this article and supporting this blog space. Please stay safe, healthy, and warm. Take Care and God Bless!!!